Explosive-engine.



n Patented July I5, |902.

C. W. WEISS.

'EXPLSIVE ENGINE.

(A ppication led Jan. 15, 1900.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CARL WV. lVEISS, OF 'NEWYORlL N. Y.

EXPLOSlVE-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION foriiling part of Letters Patent No. 704,995, dated July '15, 1902. Application filed January 15, 1900. Serial No. 1,474. (No model) To all w/tom, it T11/ay concern:

Be it known that I, CARL W. WEISS, a citizen of the United States, residingin the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying d rawings, forming. a part hereof.

This invention relates to the general class of explosive-engines in which the explosive mixture is formed in the Working cylinder or ough clearing out of the dead gaseswfrom thev explosion-chamber after each explosion.

A further Obj ect, particularly applicable to engines of this class with which a previouslyformed gas is made thebasis of the explosive mixture, is to guard against the retention of any explosive mixture in the ports or passages leading to the explosion-chamber, such retention of explosive mixture leading to secondary explosions, which, at least, impair the efiiciency of the engine, if they do not cause injury to its Working parts.

To eect the cooling of the explosion-chamber and the clearing out of the dead gases, a small quantity of Water is introduced into the explosion-chamber in advance of the formation therein of the explosive mixture, the water so introduced being instantly vaporized, absorbing heat and driving out the dead gases which then remain in the chamber. The relative time at which the water is introduced is of the essence of this part of the invention. It has been proposed heretofore to introduce a small quantity of water into the explosion-chambers of engines of this class at orimmediatclyafter the instant of ignition, with the idea of utilizing the expansive force of the steam thus generated for power behind `vention.

the moving piston. Incidentally the vaporization of the water would reduce the tempera- Vture within they cylinder; but such reduction yreducing the efficiency of the mixture than -Would the'dead gases which have been expelled by it. It will be evident that this part ,of the'invention is not limited to any particu lar forni of engine or of4 devices With which it is practiced; but in order that its nature maybe clearly understood certain convenient embodiments thereof are shown inthe accompanying drawings and will be described hereinafter. s

In the drawings, Figure lis a View, partlyin elevation andV partly in vertical central section, ofso much of a liquid-hydrocarbon engine as is necessary` to enable the application ofthe flrst part of the present invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is a similar view, on a somewhat larger scale, of a portion of a gasengine which embodies both parts of the in- Fig. 3 is a section on the irregular plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. i is a section on the plane indicated by the line 4E l of Fig. 2. p

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention represented in Fig. l, the engine being therein shown as a liquid-hydrocarbon engine, the cylinder A of the engine isshown as of ordinary construction and provided with the usual water-jacket A', while the casing A2 is extended forward to inclose the crank and to receive the bearings of the crank-shaft. The usual trunk-piston B is shown as connected by a pitman B to a crank-pin B2, car ried by crank-arms or crank-disks, one of which is shown as secured directly to the corresponding part of the crank-shaft C. The chamber inclosed by the forward part of the casing A2 constitutes, as is well understood, a convenient air-compression chamber in which the air admitted through a suitable port which is covered by the piston in its forward movenient, but opened as the piston reaches the limit ofits rearward movement, is compressed at each ,forward movement of the piston. The chamber is connected with the working cylinder A or explosion-chamber through a port a, which is closed by the piston except when the latter is at or near the limit of its forward movement. An exhaust-port a is also arranged so as to be closed by the piston except when the same is at or near the limit of its forward movement. The cylinder-head A3 is represented as provided with an extension A4 to inclose an igniter, which is not necessary to be shown or described herein. In this engine the oil which forms the basis of the explosive. charge is delivered to the cylinder through a discharge-nozzle, (indicated at IL) the oil being immediately vaporized and mixed with the airwhich is delivered through the port a when the pist-on is in its extreme forward position. The source of supply of the oil is not necessary to be shown and may be of any suitable character.

As stated hereinbefore, a small quantity of water is introduced into the cylinder or explosion-chamber just before the formation of the explosive mixture. It may therefore be introduced conveniently through the supplyport a. and may be supplied from any convenient source. As shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, it is supplied from the water-jacket A', to which connection is made through a suitable stop-valve 01.5, check-valve a4, regulating-valve 0.5, and sight-feed d6. The water thus supplied falls into the port a While the latter is closed by the piston and remains there, either in a liquid form or as steam, until the port is opened just as the piston approaches the forward limit of its stroke. Then the water is discharged into the cylinder in spray in advance of the incoming air and necessarily before the formation of the explosive mixture. Itisimmediatelyvaporized,cooling the Walls of the cylinder by the absorption of heat and byits expansion driving out through the exhaust-port a. the dead gases which remain within the cylinder or explosion-chamber. It will be understood that although the whole y, operation is almost instantaneous, nevertheless the introduction of the water in order to carry out the invention and to secure the results desired must be and is in advance of the formation of the explosive mixture and that its introduction after the formation of the explosive mixture and after the closing of the exhaust-port would defeat the object of the invention.

It will be evident not only that the prac` tice of the invention is independent of the particular devices employed, but that the invention is applicable to gas-engines as well as to oil-engines, and in Fig. 2 is illustrated an application of the invention to a gas-engine of a well-known type. For convenience the cylinder A, with its water-jacket A, compression-chamber A2, connected with the cylinder, and piston B, are represented substantially as in Fig. 1. The gas, which in this case forms the basis of the explosive mixture, is delivered to the supply-port a from a pump AD, which receives it through a supply-pipe d (see Fig. 3) and check-valve d', the pipe d2 serving both as a supply-pipe and a dischargepipe for the pump. The gas is delivered through a valve-chamber E, and the time of delivery is controlled by a valve F, which is represented as ,carried by a rod f and held to its seat by a springf.. The rodf may be operated as fully described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 592,033, dated October 19, 1897, having upon its end a tongue f2, adapted to be struck by the end of a rod c', which is reciprocated by suitable connections from the engine-shaft, the action being controlled by a governor, as described in said patent. A small cylinder E is extended from the valve-chamber Ein line with the rod f and is connected with the water-jacket A' through a check-valve d4. An extension f4 of the rod f, having a spring-seated valve f5, which opens inward, forms a pump-bucket, the valve-chamber communicating through a passage f6 in the rod f with the valve-chamber E, which is above the supply-port ct. It will be obvious that at each reciprocation of the rod fa small quantity of water will be delivered into the supply-port a and that such water will be delivered into the explosionchamber or cylinder, as described above with reference to Fig. 1, the instant that the port a is opened by the movement of the piston to its forward position, and consequently in advance ofthe introduction of the gas and before the yformation in the cylinder of the explosive mixture. In this arrangement, more= over, the injection of water is subject to the control of the governor above referred to and is therefore timed and controlled by and with the feeding of the fuel. This is an advantage, since it assures a proper and practical proportion between the supply of water and the supply of fuel, or, in other words, the amount of heat. A constant supply of water, particularly when the engine is running with a light load, would tend to reduce the temperature of the vaporizer or igniter too much, and a constant supply with the engine running under varying loads is undesirable. The action of the water in this case will be the same as already described with reference to the engine shown in Fig. V1.

In a gas-engine, as hereinbefore pointed out, it is desirable to guard against the retention outside of the cylinder of any of the explosive mixture, which might cause a secondary explosion. This object is attained by making the air-supplyport or ports a7 independent of the gas-supply port a, the gassupply port and the air-supply port or ports terminating independently at the inner face IOC of the cy1inder-wall. As the gas-port is illed with gas alone until it is covered by the piston in its rearward movement, it is obviously impossible for any air to become mixed with the gas which remains in the port. Likewise, since the air-ports are also cut oir" by the piston it is impossible for any gas to be mixed with the air therein. Consequently there can be formed in the supply-ports no explosive mixture which is liable to cause a secondary explosion. Neither is there any waste of gas, since the gas which remains in the gas-supply port cannot burn, as there is present no supporter of combustion.

The mode of operation of the several features of construction shown and described herein has been set forth already and will require no further explanation. It will also be evident that the invention is not restricted to the details of construction and arrangement shown and described herein, but may be embodied in many dierent forms.

I claim as my inventionl. In an explosive-engine, the combination with an explosion chamber or cylinder having a supply-port and an exhaust-port opened as the piston approaches the limit of its forward stroke, of means to introduce Water into the chamber or cylinder as said ports open, whereby the water precedes the explosive charge.

2. In an explosive-engine, the combination with a cylinder having supply and exhaust ports opened by the piston as it approaches the forward limit of its stroke, and means to discharge water through said supply-port as it opens.

3. An explosion-engine having independent air and gas supply ports terminating in the inner surface of the cylinder-Wall and means to close said ports at their extremities.

4. An explosive-engine having independent air and gas supply ports terminatingl sepa; rately in the inner surface of the cylinder-wall and uncovered by the piston in its forward movement.

This specification signed and witnessed this 12th day of January, A. D. 1900.

CARL W. WEISS.

In presence of*- RoswELL S. NICHOLS, W. B. GREELEY; 

